I included just a few of the many, many pictures we've gotten from viewers this morning of the cold weather scenes across southwest Florida. So far, the coldest temperature reported to us is from our Weather Watcher in Arcadia, Russ Perkins -- 23 degrees! Keep those pictures coming to weather@winktv.com, I'll have a few more to show during today's noon newscast and Scott will have more to show you this evening.
Frost was not a widespread problem this morning because the air was fairly dry and the wind stayed up in the 5-10 mph range. Tomorrow morning, though, there likely will be even more widespread frost as the wind goes calm. Temperatures though, with the atmosphere moderating at the same time and the chance of some high clouds overhead, likely will not be as cold -- ranging from the upper 20's inland to the upper 30's to near 40 along the Lee Island Coast.
A slow and steady warmup from here. By the end of the week, we should be in the low 70's and pushing toward the upper 70's on Saturday as a very strong, cut-off area of low pressure moves across the western Gulf. That system will be one to watch for Saturday night. Out ahead of it, we'll get into the upper 70's Saturday afternoon with much more humid conditions... could be a fairly widespread rain on Saturday night and possibly even some thunderstorms, maybe a strong one. Lots of time to watch that next system though.
